Review - Bruno Has One Hundred Friends

Bruno Has One Hundred Friends
by Francesca Pirrone
Date: 2019
Publisher: Clavis
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Bruno is very happy when he finds a mobile phone. Suddenly, he has many friends, all over the world! But he spends so much time with his "magic box," he forgets all about Renzo & Rico.

A story about what makes a real friendship. For children ages 5 and up.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Bruno Has One Hundred Friends is the story of a bear who finds a cell phone in the woods. He's soon obsessed with it, preferring to watch movies, listen to music, and collect virtual friends rather than spend time with Renzo and Rico, his flesh-and-blood pals.

I love the premise here, and the illustrations are adorable (I especially like the fox hiding in the outdoor scenes). But Bruno's teachable moment kind of comes out of the blue. His understanding comes so abruptly that I actually thought my copy had a page missing. One moment he's crying about his cell phone not working (and the loss of his virtual friends), and the next he's realizing that he's neglected his real friends. Other than a bear hug, there doesn't seem to be anything that acts as the catalyst for this change of heart. So that was a bit disappointing.

Other than that, though, the message of Bruno Has One Hundred Friends is a good one. I'm not sure if children are really the ones who need to hear this message, but perhaps some of the parents reading this with their kids will take Bruno's lesson to heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clavis for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.5 out of 5